When It's Love
by Shadowed Replica
Summary: It's been 2 years since Batman was last seen. Most of Gotham still sees him as the villian but one young woman furiously endeavors to prove he's innocent and be accepted. When the Riddler attacks, can Mac keep the virtual and real world separate? Batman/OC
1. Chapter I

**When It's Love**

_By Shadowed _Replica

I. E.N?GMA Games

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><p><span>DISCLAIMER:<span> I do not own Batman ior Bruce Wayne and not Christian Bale... It makes me very sad but a girl can dream right? Mac Nigma is my own psychosis in action so please don't take her without my permission. My plans to kidnap the Dark Knight are not going too hot so... until then I relinquish those rights. Ultimate sad face.

So I realize that I haven't updated in forever but I revamped this story a little because I wasn't sure how to continue some ways. It is still Nolan-verse but I have not watched The Dark Knight Rises due to very unfortunate circumstances... I hope to remedy that next paycheck :)!

Thanks to all you loyal viewers, I appreciate your comments so much as they are my motivation and the inspiration to create more:  
>I'm Past the Point of No Retun Sally Fantastic pourquoibella Evenlight<p>

So here's the revamp starting from chapter 1!

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><p>Sometimes the life you live seems so perfect until it comes crashing down around you. Everything you've built up, everything you've put together and perfected is just destroyed with one single truth. But it would be better to start from the beginning so you – the reader of this epic tale – can understand why these situations continued as they did and why the characters of this play have acted as such.<p>

"Emma MacKayla Nigma is a mere twenty years old and heiress to the promising E.N?GMA Games Co. Her father – Edward Nigma – built the game company from the ashes of his late wife's family company – Riddle Software Inc. Emma – or 'Mac' as she prefers – is a brilliant video game designer and software creator. She's created half the company games from her own ideas and is currently in the making of her latest game – Gotham's Knight." The talk-show host reported excitedly.

Bruce Wayne sat back with a can of coke-a-cola in his hand sipping lightly as he watched the television. He was only interested in what E.N?GMA Games was concocting about his alter-ego.

The woman smiled brightly into the camera and motioned off-stage, "And _now_ we get to interview the beautiful and brilliant woman herself. Everyone, let's welcome Emma Nigma to Gotham's Gossip!" The audience cheered as a slim young woman wearing a black and lime green pinstripe business suit with a lime green lace tee peaking form underneath her jacket. She wore stiletto lime green heels that clicked every time she stepped on the linoleum floor.

Alfred entered the sitting room and glanced at the TV before picking up the two empty cans and plate on the end table near him, "Getting a bit of entertainment in for once, Master Wayne?"

She flashed her pearly whites in a dazzling smile while pushing her strawberry blonde hair from her face. Smokey eye-makeup accented her dazzling gray eyes making them appear more green than gray. She was pale from being cooped up in an office so long but it made her appear more alluring. "Thanks Anne, glad to be here."

Bruce chuckled, "More like gathering intel on my new face." Alfred Pennyworth raised a fine white eyebrow as he turned to see Emma Nigma smile.

"Ah, Miss Nigma has grown into quite the young lady hasn't she?" The elder man chuckled as Bruce ignored him.

The audience quieted for Anne as she turned to face the heiress. "Now, Emma…"

"Mac, just call me Mac please." Mac interrupted.

"Um – okay, Mac then; now Mac, we want to hear all about Gotham's Knight. We've heard rumor that the Batman," The audience gasped collectively, "is starring in this game as a villain."

Bruce frowned until Mac answered; "Actually," she bit out, "He's the protagonist – the hero of my storyline." The audience gasped again and Bruce leaned forward as she explained.

"The hero? Whatever do you mean?" Anne shot back.

"Well I'm portraying him as he should be seen – the Dark Knight of Gotham." She said calmly.

Anne seemed to puff up a bit, "Surely you must be kidding Ms. Nigma. Batman is no hero – he murdered a cop and the DA Harvey Dent in cold blood." She gasped.

"If you choose to believe what the police tell you." Mac snapped. "I for one have my own mind and don't see it. The only evidence we have is by word of mouth and the police department should be grateful to accept his help. He's a hero and that is my opinion." She growled. Anne was stunned into silence for once.

"Well now, seems like you've got a friend Master Wayne." Alfred chuckled as he turned away.

"No, Batman has a friend – Bruce Wayne is her mortal enemy if you recall." Bruce called out to him.

"Anyways, we aren't here to discuss my opinion on the Batman – we're here to discuss my new game." Mac said pointedly.

"Yes, yes, very well _Mac_." Anne nearly sneered. "Why don't you tell us what inspired you to create this _game_. A fake smile was plastered on her face but her eyes were narrowed and the word 'game' came out like she'd tasted something foul.

"Well it had Batman as the main protagonist and you have to play the game starting from the time he _rescued_," the word 'rescued' was thrown at Anne, "the people of Gotham by Dr. Crane's neurotoxin that was released into the air coupled with a supposedly stolen machine from Wayne Enterprises all the way through his episodes with the Joker to my new villain I've created – the Riddler." She said matter-of-factly.

"I see, so who is this _Riddler_ character." Anne asked suddenly intrigued.

"Well I won't spoil important details but his name suggests his game. He likes riddles and puzzles and logic and that is how he attacks Gotham and the Batman." Mac said excitedly.

Anne nodded, "I see, I see – very interested. Now, a few more questions before our time's up dear." The older woman's smile turned something akin to sinister. "As for Wayne Enterprises – how are you and Bruce doing dear?"

Mac's face remained passive though her cleavage began to turn a pale pink and her hands tightened in her lap almost imperceptively. Bruce raised an eyebrow as Mac spoke, "Whatever do you mean Anne?"

"Why – the Mayor's Ball of course!" She turned to the audience who suddenly cheered and whooped. "There's been rumor of you and Bruce going together – is there something going on between you two?"

Mac forced herself to remain calm, "Why Anne, wherever did you hear such a thing?" She gasped effectively, "Bruce Wayne is far too childish for my liking even if he is four years my senior." She smirked as the audience gasped.

"So are you saying you're better than Bruce Wayne." Anne gasped again.

"No – not better, not yet." She said before flashing another bright smile, "I would never claim to something such as that. Bruce and I travel in different circles of course. He's too busy with his half-dressed mannequins and my games and software are far too important. He doesn't take anything seriously which worries me. If Wayne Enterprises goes under because of his irresponsibility – what will happen to all the little people counting on his company." She smirked again and Bruce crushed the pop can in his hand reflexively. He cursed as pop spilled over him.

He missed the next few words as he wiped soda off him and glanced up to see Mac walking off the set stiffly. He sighed and grabbed the remote to turn it off. Anne's last words caught his attention before he hit the power button, "Even if Batman was the hero – where is he now? When Gotham needs him most he disappears. We've had a whole year without the masked man, the Joker is still locked away but the mob is back to business. Some hero." The TV cut out.

Bruce cursed to himself as he stomped up to his room. He pulled a book and took the elevator down to the Bat-cave. Alfred was standing at the computers activating the system to raise the Bat-suit. He nodded to his oldest friend and mentor, "It's about bloody time."

He pulled on his suit while rolling his eyes and hit a button that revealed the tumbler rising from its hiding place beneath the floors. "Does she still run?"

"Better than the Lamborghini sir." Alfred smiled.

They smirked at each other and Bruce disappeared into his Batman persona as he exited his cave into the newly fallen night.

Six hours had passed. Six hours since that awful Anne woman had ripped her game apart and poked fun at the war between her and Bruce. She threw her soldering tool across the room and screamed in frustration. She wiped sweat from her forehead and sighed. Standing, she grabbed her bag, stuffed her feet into her ballet flats and pulled on her hoody as she exited the lab – the Riddler would have to wait until tomorrow when she wasn't as frustrated.

She closed and locked the door behind her. She patted her pockets down searching for her keys. There was a creak behind her just as she found them and she turned only to see a bat come flying at her face. She ducked but the bat caught the side of her head knocking her back and over.

She cried out and landed on her ass hard. Her keys went flying along with her bag – its contents spilling all over the pavement. As she lay there dazed, the man came at her again. She threw her arm up to defend her head reflexively and it connected with her radius bone and shattered it. She screamed in pain letting the arm go limp to the ground as she collapsed backward. "Help…." She whimpered.

The man chuckled and brought the bat down at her again. Mac closed her eyes but the blow never came. A painful grunt sounded and she opened her eyes to see a dark figure beating the man into a bloody pulp. She groaned in pain as she closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them Batman was leaning over her. She smirked slightly – possibly dazed from the hit still – and chuckled, "My hero."

"Your right arm is shattered," he stated gathering her into his arms.

"No hospitals," she growled.

"You could have a concussion, you need a doctor," he growled but she fought him.

"No! Can't go to them – crackpots! Take me home – please!" She demanded while pulling his face down to hers.

He picked her up bridal style and headed toward her penthouse apartment – his old penthouse apartment – toward the middle of the city. After stopping in an alley a few blocks away from the penthouse, he lifted her out and used his grappling-hook to reach the top.

He pushed open the door that led out to the helipad and walked in. Snarling alerted him to a husky-like dog growling and blocking his way. He growled to himself and was about to shoot it with a tranquilizer when Mac stirred, "Shadow, down… Batman."

She wasn't completely lucid but the word Batman seemed to calm the dog. It growled one last time before trotting over and sniffing at them. It whimpered and nosed her hand. "Good girl…" She mumbled.

He walked into the bigger bedroom and set her on the sheets. He saw a mini-fridge beside the bed and opened it. He pulled out an ice pack from the little freezer and wrapped it in a towel he found in the bathroom. He placed it under the right side of her head so it was on the bump. Then he used a couple more towels to brace her arm – he should've taken her to the doctors!

But as he tried to straighten the arms, he felt something weird. Her bone wasn't in shambles like he first thought. He touched a couple places but she groaned in pain and he left it alone to check for any other bruises, marks or abrasions – she seemed okay.

She muttered something and he leaned down to listen, "Fast healer."

He smirked only slightly – just a little movement of the thin line that was his mouth. He moved to get up but her unharmed arm shot out and wrapped around his neck. He moved to break her hold so she wouldn't get electrocuted from trying to pull off his mask but he was pulled down to her face and their lips met.

Well – more like his face smacked hers. But she was kissing him and he was alarmed to find himself kissing her back. He froze and heard growling behind him. The dog – Shadow – was creeping toward him baring her very sharp canines.

Her mouth opened against his and her tongue traced his lips lightly before she pecked him again muttering, "_My_ dark knight," before she fell back unconscious on the bed.

Batman stared at her and the nearly all white husky nosed her way under his arm and crawled up on the bed. She whimpered and settled down next to her master. The wolf-dog looked over at him with her piercing blue eyes for a moment and then set her head on unharmed left arm letting out a sigh.

He looked down at Mac and shook his head before turning away and jumping out of the window. He hopped in his tumbler and sped away.


	2. Chapter II

**When It's Love**

_By Shadowed _Replica

II. Mystery

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><p><span>DISCLAIMER:<span> I do not own Batman ior Bruce Wayne and not Christian Bale... It makes me very sad but a girl can dream right? Mac Nigma is my own psychosis in action so please don't take her without my permission. My plans to kidnap the Dark Knight are not going too hot so... until then I relinquish those rights. Ultimate sad face.

I tried to upload an image I created for this story but it cuts it severely so... I dunno what to do ha. Maybe I'll upload it on photobucket or something. I dunno.

Anywho... ENJOY!

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><p>Mac woke up the next morning feeling battered and bruised. Shadow whined as her tail wagged back and forth over her leg. She sat up quickly and fell right back down. Shadow barked and leapt up and started licking her face, "Ack! Shadow stop – stop girl, stop!" She laughed as the dog jumped down and barked at the open window.<p>

Mac sat up again and stared for a moment. She gasped and looked down at her arm and grasped the nearly completely healed shattered arm – hopefully she didn't meet Batman for a few more weeks so he wouldn't get suspicious of the quick heal. Her heart sank at that thought and she sighed, "Why do I always pick the hard ones?" She asked her wolf dog.

Shadow cocked her head cutely and then her tongue lolled out of her mouth as she nudged her empty bowl with her nose. Mac grunted with pain as she put weight on the still injured arm and then stood, "Okay, okay girl, let's go get some breakfast for both of us."

Two hours later, Mac was out riding around in her lime green Dodge charger with a supped up nitrous turbo charger. She stopped at Starbucks Coffee and picked up a dozen lattes and a cream-based caramel coolatta without the coffee. Her friends liked to poke fun at her for not drinking any coffee at a coffee shop. She also bought three dozen doughnuts from the small, family bakery down the street. She was passing by the strip mall in the lower parts of Gotham and saw Hollister advertising a new lime green hoody. She bit her lip and pulled over quickly.

Mac bought the hoody – who cares if it wasn't Gucci or Versace? She didn't need to spend that kind of money. She had perfect suits from them so why not have dress down or work clothes from Hollister and Aeropostale? She was pulling it on and waving at the people as she exited when she literally ran into someone. She caught herself from falling backwards and looked up to apologize to the person she ran into.

"Oh I'm so sorry sir I…" She trailed off upon seeing the bane of her existence staring down at her with a small, flirty smile.

"Oh no Mac, I apologize." He kissed her hand and Mac's face turned red as she sucked in her cheeks.

She snatched her hand from Bruce's grip and stepped back to get away from him. "Have a good day."

Bruce had noticed that her arm seemed fine and the bump on her head was almost gone. He frowned internally but followed after her doggedly, "So far I have, thank you." He smirked as she scowled but kept walking without turning to acknowledge him. "Have you picked out your dress?"

This got her to stop and turn to stare at him, "My what?"

"Dress, for the ball?" He said smartly.

Mac grit her teeth, "Why would it matter?"

"I'd like to know what color to wear so we don't clash too badly." He said matter-of-factly.

"Excuse me?"

"Well I figured Anne expected us to at least be color-coordinated." He chuckled.

"Oh please Bruce. Spare me your antics – I'm busy." She headed off again but he followed – to her complete frustration.

"Running off to work on your batty little program?" He remarked.

She snarled and turned on him. He stopped just in time to avoid crashing into her, "Don't start with me."

"I'm just curious, why batman? Why not real heroes like the SWAT team or something?" He asked snarkily.

"Batman is a real hero and has probably saved your worthless ass several times you pathetic waste of human space." She snarled stepping forward.

He leaned down – their lips bare two inches apart – and his breath wafted over her lips, "You're right – he has."

She growled at him and leaned up to whisper softly, "Then that is the only thing I can fault him for." With that she turned and swept into her car before driving off and almost running over his custom Armani shoes.

Bruce stared after her smirking on the outside but glowering inside. She shouldn't be able to move her arm yet she was using it like she's only bumped it against a wall or something. Her head didn't seem to be bothering her at all and her attitude had returned in full force. Emma MacKayla Nigma was a beautiful woman – one he wouldn't mind sporting for arm candy – but she had a sharp tongue and a sailor's vernacular to be sure.

He remembered her kissing him – no, not him, Batman – and touched his lips. He turned away then and got into his new silver Lamborghini and drove off – he was secretly glad she liked the batman. Though getting him to admit to such? – impossible!

One week later found Mac working late in her lab again – she still hadn't gone shopping for her dress and she was glad to be rid of Bruce Wayne. A knock sounded at the door before it opened to reveal her father. A tall, slightly irrational man with dark red hair and brilliant green eyes and pale, pale skin walked in wearing his usual crooked smile, "How goes the new game my sweet?" he asked.

Mac smiled – it'd been some time since she'd seen her father. "Daddy!" She squealed leaping up from her kneeling position and hugging him. Though he was eccentric and sometimes insane, she still loved him with all her heart. "I've missed you, did you get my latest design for the Box?" She asked hopefully.

Edward Nigma smiled and hugged his daughter loosely before pushing her back at arm's length to study her. "I did and it is working nearly perfectly. I have a few tweaks I need done to it, something about the alpha waves not aligning with the brain properly – don't want to be turning people into zombies now do we dear?" he chuckled.

Mac smiled softly and took the paper. Chicken scratch that was her father's handwriting was drawled all over the paper. She smiled and laughed at his favorite question marks everywhere – that's where her idea of the Riddler had come from. She saw the mistake and erased some equations to replace them with something else entirely, "Here daddy, you have to reverse polarity of the two magnets to achieve maximum potency." She smiled as her dad snatched up the paper and looked it over.

Edward nodded, "Ah yes, I knew you'd be able to figure it out. My daughter – the smartest girl in the world. Alina would be so proud of you Emma." He patted her on the head and turned, "Thank you dear, I'll see you at your birthday party in two weeks."

He smirked at her as he opened the door, "But dad!" He turned back to her and raised an eyebrow. "Would you like to have dinner tonight? We could go out to Bellacino's like we always used to do." She asked hopefully.

He cocked his head and looked at his watch. He shrugged, "Let's go before it's too late."

Mac smiled happily and practically ran to grab her things. She wiped her face quickly on a rag and ran to the sink to wash her face and hands. She then pulled her hair back into a respectable bun with a few pieces dangling.

Bellacino's was not a high-end ordeal but it had been her mother's favorite place to eat. Though Mac was not dense and knew her father only needed her for her intelligence, some part of her – some small little part of the young girl she'd been many years ago – still hoped and yearned that her father would show some love for her.

They arrived fifteen minutes later and pulled into the tiny yet elegant restaurant. They ordered; Edward got the chicken risotto and Mac the fettuccine alfredo. They enjoyed the meal and talked quietly of the Box and her game. He asked about the Riddler and she told him how he would cause mayhem.

He asked about the mayor's ball and she told him she was going to represent E.N?GMA Game Co. He told her to get what she needed on his bill and that he'd make sure to be around for her party. It was the best night of her life with her dad since her mom had been alive.

As they were leaving, Edward got a call that made him quite angry. He turned to her and asked when she thought the Box would be ready for shelves. "Not for another six months at least. I was hoping for the releases to coincide with my game so that there would be a playable game for the system before we start converting the other ones."

He glared at her, "No, the box must be ready by next month. I want the final stages prepared above all else, do you understand me?"

"But dad, I haven't even gotten to that point yet and I…"

"Then I suggest you start! Tonight." He ordered before turning away straightening his collar. "I want it done by the second week of November and not a day later. Do not disappoint me Emma!" He snarled before turning to look back at his daughter. He grabbed her shoulders tightly and stared down at her, "You know I don't like to be disappointed." With that, he turned away from her and walked toward his BMW and got inside. He started the engine and pulled away.

She watched him leave with wide, sad eyes. She swallowed a lump in her throat and watched him walk away. Rain began to fall down on her and mixed with the few tears that happened to fall. She didn't wipe them away as she walked to her Charger. Sorrow and anger filled her.

Up on top of a roof top next to the restaurant's, Batman knelt staring at her. He was shocked by the way her father treated her but he could see why she was always so distant from people. He watched the young girl stagger over to her Charger and get in. She closed the door and he could see the tears falling. He shook his head and then disappeared from the roof to help a victim a few blocks over.

That very night she went home to do just as her father had. After all, she couldn't let him down now could she?

A week later, Mac found herself strapped in a green suit with sensors all over her body. She was creating the movements for the female characters in her game. She looked over to Sarina and nodded, "All right Rina, commence movement recording."

Rina nodded and tapped a few keys on the keyboard. "Okay, go for walking." Mac began to walk across the room and then turn in all four cardinal directions. She stopped and did an about turn before walking backward. "And now running." She tapped another key on the board to record her movements. Mac ran and turned just like the first time. She rolled a couple times like she was dodging attacks and changed her speeds. "Okay Mac, we got it. Next intervals for crawling and then we have Master Shin in about 20 minutes."

Mac nodded to herself and began the crawl across the green floor and rolled around a couple of times before she jumped and then army crawled. Rina watched on in amusement as Mac cart wheeled up and down the mats and then darted all over the room. "Okay Mac, you're gonna tire yourself out." She laughed lightly.

One hour later and Mac was watching as the master performed many different moves that Batman would use in the game. There were other people wired the same as she was fighting him. She prepared herself and stepped back in. She already had the villain movements recorded but now she was getting the prime meat of her Bats. The master tae kwon do instructor was brilliant. He made Batman graceful and honorable.

It was time for Mac to step into the ring with him to perform one of the fight scenes between the Riddler and Batman. She fought and did what he told him to do. They had to do multiple scene shots because she messed up a few times. She was finally getting the hang of it and going pretty good.

Rina received a call and picked up the phone. The assistant at the front desk alerted her that Bruce Wayne was there to see Mac. "Um…I don't think now is a good time…"

"Ma'am, he's insisting he come up, what should I do?" she asked.

With a sigh, Rina looked over at Mac and then spoke, "Send him up I guess."

Mac was dodging attacks and using her cane to attack and defend herself from Master Shin. He was quick for an older man and she had to keep herself on her toes. She already had a few bruises that were smarting. He rapped her on the rib and she grunted before she attacked.

Bruce smirked as he stepped through the door to see Mac and was surprised when he saw her in a skin tight green suit with little glowing nodes all over her being attacked by a slightly older man wearing the same getup. "Mac?" He asked aloud.

Rina turned to shush him and then looked back to Mac. "Good now, the Batman gets knocked down on the ground and kicked around." Mac used the move and Master Shin went down before Mac kicked the dummy several times and then turned to Master Shin. She slammed the cane down and he rolled out of the way before darting up and attacking her. She had to block with her arms to lessen the blows.

She glanced over at Rina and saw Bruce. In shock, she didn't block and Master Shin caught her hard in the right side of her ribs. An audible crack was heard throughout the room and Mac gasped in pain. She collapsed to the ground and Master Shin stepped back. "Miss Nigma, I'm sorry."

"It's – uhhh… okay. Just need a moment to rest…Rina." She gasped painfully as she hobbled to her feet. Rina was by her side instantly while Bruce lifted her up.

"Are you okay?" Bruce asked softly as he carried her out of the ring. He walked quickly and quietly so he wouldn't jar her broken ribs. He knocked a bunch of papers and tools off a table and set her down on it. "Mac, how many are broken?"

Mac gasped in pain as her ribs began to knit themselves back together. Pain lacerated her bones and she gave a scream of pain. Bruce froze as his fingers grazed over her ribs. He expected a depression or at least a bone sticking up slightly but it was only slightly swollen. She grit her teeth as the bones snapped back together and the swelling began to rescind. "Rina…" She gasped.

Rine grabbed her a bottle of water and gave it to her. "Here, drink up Mac." She said while putting a hand on her back. Mac groaned and finally she was good to sit up.

Great, she now had 3 witnesses to her abnormality. "I think I need to lie down for a while. I'll be fine." She put a hand to her ribs to pretend she was still in pain; in truth it was only a little tender. "Rina…can you call in someone to finish for me please." Mac stumbled for a moment before she pushed through a door.

Rina stood there looking after her and sighed. She turned back to Master Shin and directed him to the break room where he could wait until a replacement came in. She assured him Mac would be fine and no harm was done. She returned after calling a replacement to find Bruce gone.

Bruce walked in behind Mac and saw her with her shirt pulled up as she touched the bruised area. He stopped and gazed at her in shock, the bruise was slowly disappearing from her skin. "Fuck…" She whispered and then she collapsed to her knees. "What did you do to me dad?"

As she put her face in her hands, Bruce opened the door loudly and then shut it pretending to have just walked in. Mac didn't move from her spot though her hand automatically clutched at her ribs and she switched her breathing so it sounded a bit labored. He frowned, "Mac are you okay?"

Mac stiffened and cast an angry glance over her shoulder, "What do you want?" She spit the word 'you' at him like a bad taste in her mouth.

He frowned deeper. "Why do you hate me so much MacKayla?"

She grimaced at the use of her name. She turned away from him, "Leave me alone."

He growled in his chest and picked her up pressing her to the wall. Both forgot that her ribs were supposed to be hurting her as his hands pinned her arms to either side of her head on the wall. "What did I ever do to you?" He growled.

She glared at him, "You can't be serious!" She snapped back at him.

"I've done nothing to you!"

"Yes that's right Bruce, you never treated me like I was an outcast." She sneered. "You never looked at me with a critical eye isn't that right Bruce!" She snarled vehemently. "_Little Mac's mom was a no talent geek. Little Mac's brother is a psychotic freak._" She sang out the harsh words he created when they were little. "_Riddle this, riddle that, oh look her daddy's back. Wonder what's next for crazy Mac._" Tears stung her eyes. "You made my life hell you son of a bitch!" She cried before shoving him back.

Bruce stumbled in shock – had he really been that cruel as a child? "Mac I didn't mean…"

"Shut up! Just shut the hell up and get out of my building and off my property! Or, or….or else!" She screamed while thumping him with her fists. Tears of fury burned her eyes and left trails down her cheeks.

With a heavy sigh Bruce turned away from her with his hands shoved in his pockets. He vaguely recalled the rhyme he'd made about her family when they were younger. He was embarrassed and ashamed of himself to say the least. He walked outside to his limo where Alfred patiently waited and they drove home.

Mac punched her fist into the wall so hard it cracked the plaster and busted her skin open over her knuckles. She relinquished the pain but it quickly healed over making her angry again. Holding her hand to her chest she told Rina she was taking the rest of the week off to rest after she went to the doctor to make sure she was all right.

Rina assured her that she would get everything done and Mac need not worry about anything. The choreographed moves and scenes would be completed and await her approval when she returned the next week.

With that, Mac returned home, showered and then cuddled up with Shadow in her bed and fell into a deep dreamless slumber.

Bruce was quiet the entire ride home making Alfred wonder what he was contemplating. "Miss Mac troubling you again Master Wayne?"

He gazed at his long time friend and father-figure before sighing. "I was a really mean kid wasn't I?"

Alfred gave him a sad smile, "Sometimes Master Wayne, I didn't think you'd ever grow up."

"MacKayla still hates me for how I tortured her." Bruce muttered dryly.

"Ah yes, Miss Emma. You were quite creative and cruel when you came up with those little songs. I often scolded you about it but I knew you just had to learn." He sighed as he opened the door for the both of them. "But it was your mother that was most upset when she found out how cruel you had been to Emma. She didn't want to scream at you but she was so disappointed in you."

"I remember," Bruce said while swallowing the lump in his throat as the memory of his mother's sharp rebuke assaulted him.

"She told me that I had no right to judge or make fun of someone else because of their family or home life." He laughed lightly, "She told me that respectable young men would be nice to a lady no matter how infuriating or annoying she may be." He sighed and looked out over the vast expanse of the manicured lawns at Wayne Manor. "I wish I could take back all the hurt I caused her, but I can't." He walked inside.

Alfred followed after him, "Perhaps you should apologize Master Wayne. One finds that a moment of clarity can clear a life time of fog. Maybe then she can forgive herself as well." The last part was spoken softly.

Bruce stopped to look at him, "What did you say?"

Alfred looked at the man he had raised from a boy and smiled softly. "Do you remember when you fell down that hole?"

He looked at him and then looked away for a moment, "I remember." He said softly.

"Do you remember how you got down there?"

Bruce swallowed a lump in his throat, "I do."

"What happened?" Alfred asked quietly as he led him down into the kitchen to prepare him supper.

Bruce grimaced as he recalled the events. "Rachel…" He murmured. Alfred glanced at him momentarily and saw the anguish on his face before returning to the meal. "I took an arrowhead the Rachel had found and ran away." He said. For a moment he tried to remember exactly what had happened. "I don't really remember what happened other than falling into that hole and breaking my arm. I think…Mac was there."

Alfred nodded, "Yes she was sir." He paused for a moment. "In fact, she admitted to pushing you down the hole that she had almost fallen into herself."

Bruce gaped openly at him, "Wait… she pushed me down that hole?"

"It looks like she possibly could have Master Wayne." Alfred said softly.

"But…?" Bruce asked. Alfred gave him a questioning glance. "There's always a 'but' with you Alfred." Bruce said with a smirk.

He smiled, "I don't think she did it."

"Why's that?" Bruce asked while eating the spaghetti.

"Her brother was standing not too far from her; he always seemed to have a disturbing fascination with his little sister. That boy has never struck me as right. It was no surprise that he went to the Asylum." Alfred said while cleaning up.

"So you think her brother pushed me into the hole? But I remember running from Rachel and falling through." Bruce replied.

"And there's the dilemma Master Bruce," Alfred said with a smile, "No one knows what happened except for you, Rachel and Mac. And Mac seems to blame herself for it. I don't think she pushed you down but I don't think you fell all by yourself either."

Bruce sighed, "So I can thank Mac for the Batman."


	3. Chapter III

**When It's Love**

_By Shadowed _Replica

III. Trouble

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><p><span>DISCLAIMER:<span> I do not own Batman ior Bruce Wayne and not Christian Bale... It makes me very sad but a girl can dream right? Mac Nigma is my own psychosis in action so please don't take her without my permission. My plans to kidnap the Dark Knight are not going too hot so... until then I relinquish those rights. Ultimate sad face.

Nothing to add.

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><p><p>

Alfred, "No sir, you can't thank her."

Bruce laughed, "And why's that?"

"Because then I'd have to reprimand her for putting such stupidity into your head." Alfred smirked.

Bruce gave a chuckle as he stood up and straightened his lapels, "But then you'd miss sewing me up every night."

"You do tend to make a bloody mess of yourself." Alfred quipped.

Bruce laughed as he left out the door to prepare for the night.

Two weeks later, Mac was standing with a glass of champagne in one hand while she surveyed the crowd. "Ah, Miss Nigma," a soft voice called.

She turned to see Commissioner Gordon smiling over at her. His wife – Barbara – was smiling and shaking hands while trying to keep the frown off her face. She was nicely done up – a red gown with a heart shaped top that hugged down under her bust and released to flow to the floor. Her hair was curled and she had on light makeup and red lipstick. "Nice to see you, Commissioner Gordon."

He smiled and motioned to his wife, "And you, Miss Nigma, this is my wife Barbara." He smiled genuinely.

"Nice to meet you Barbara, I'm Emma Nigma, but I prefer Mac." Mac smiled at Barbara. The older woman gave a half-hearted smile her way and a little sigh.

"Nice to meet you Mac," She said shaking her hand.

Mac saw how uncomfortable the woman was and smiled reassuringly, "Don't worry, you'll get used to it; sadly. Eventually you'll become numb to the idiots and bimbos that try to tear you down." The older woman gave her a surprised look and then a genuine smile.

"It is sad, but I'm never one for parties. I prefer to stay at home." She laughed softly.

Mac nodded, "I know how you feel, I'd much rather be tinkering in my lab trying to get my new game finished than be here playing nice with these hoity-toity snobs." She chuckled softly.

"Ah, Mr. Wayne." Gordon called.

"Speak of the devil." Mac growled and Barbara gave a little giggle.

"Hello Commissioner," Bruce Wayne drawled as he sauntered over. He gave Mac a wink and accepted Barbara's hand with a kiss before firmly clasping Gordon's.

"I'd like to thank you for the donation to the Police Retirement Fund and to our office. GPD is looking better now that she's been fixed up."

"Well, let's just hope no one else decides to blow it up again," Bruce said good-naturedly.

"Yes," Gordon said suddenly withdrawn.

Mac plastered a fake smile on her face as Bruce turned to her. She offered her hand politely and he took it – bowing to bestow it a kiss. "May I steal Miss Mac from you Commissioner?" He asked with a glance at Gordon.

Gordon forced a smile and nodded before taking his wife's hand to lead her off in a dance. Bruce didn't let go of Mac's hand and she drained her glass before setting it down. "Let's get this over with," She whispered in a growl.

Bruce smiled at her and caught her waist with his hand while raising the other in his ensnared grasp as he led her in the waltz. As they twirled he began to question her, "How goes Gotham's Knight."

Mac scowled, "It's been postponed by a more important project."

He dipped her then, "More important?" He brought her back up, "Than your game about your favorite criminal?"

He twirled her and she glared at him, "You know, I would've credited you with a bigger brain but now I see the only head that gets enough oxygen to sustain such isn't the one on your shoulders." She whispered fiercely.

With a laugh, Bruce led her in a circle, "You flatter me Mac." They turned again and he had her pressed against his chest before he lifted her.

"Please, don't insult me." She growled.

"So why have you postponed your game?" He asked.

"Searching for company secrets now Bruce? I thought you above that?" They twirled and he spun her around before lifting her once again.

"Merely inquiring as to why I have to wait longer for the game to come out." He murmured.

She blinked as they kicked their feet and he pulled her closer to his body this lips almost touching. "You play my games?" She asked slightly stunned.

He smirked, "I'm a billionaire with time on my hands. What else would I do to fill my time at night?"

Mac gave him a coy smile, "Well now, Wayne. Perhaps you aren't such a disgrace; but playing games doesn't make you any better." She said.

She had begun to spin away but he suddenly jerked her back to him at the music; when had they started dancing the tango? "You're a very good dancer Mac." He whispered.

The strings sounded beautiful as they danced round and round. He dragged her across the floor and dipped her quickly before pulled her up back against him. They passed a table and he grabbed a rose trailing it over her neck, "Be careful Bruce," she whispered. The song was almost over and she snatched the rose from his fingers cutting him slightly. She smirked and rubbed her lips against his neck making him stiffen slightly, "Every rose has its thorns."

With that, Mac tucked the rose into his pocket, patted it and turned to leave only to see the whole room staring at them in stunned silence. Mac swallowed a lump in her throat and the applause was deafening. She blushed bright red and Bruce came up behind her and gently put a hand on the small of her back and grabbed her hand. He bent down slightly in a bow taking her with him and whispered in his ear, "I don't mind a little pain."

Mac glared at him and then smiled at the crowd before abruptly jerking out of Bruce's arms. She walked away fuming with a fake smile in place until she was out of the room. She practically kicked open the door to the ladies room and stomped inside.

Bruce had watched her leave with a slight fascination. He loved the black wrap-around dress she'd been wearing. He'd felt every inch of her body pressed up against him and – thought he wouldn't admit it – it turned him on.

He turned to head back into the crowd when a loud explosion rocketed the area Mac just left out of. Guests screamed in terror and tried to flee the wrecked ballroom.

Gordon grabbed the mayor and his wife and led them out a side exit while Bruce flitted toward the explosion to see if Mac was all right. He dug through the wreckage but he couldn't see her anywhere. The building began to rumble as if about to collapse and so he moved to run out but a glitter of green caught his eye.

He staggered over to a green box covered in glittery white and black question marks. He picked it up as the building tremored violently once again and Bruce ducked out as fast as he could. He escaped the building and was relieved when the building held. He escaped to his Lamborghini and peeled out to avoid the cops. He had to swerve to miss a lime green Charger that almost crashed into him racing out of the lot.

Bruce made it home in record time and placed the green box on the table as Alfred swept into the room with coffee and cups. He glanced at the box, "Bringing home strange presents now Master Bruce?"

"It was left at the scene of the explosion," Bruce explained as he flipped on the TV to Gotham City News. It covered the recent explosion at the Mayor's annual ball and the possible explanation for the explosion.

Alfred looked down at the box with skepticism. "Do you believe it wise to open this here sir?"

Bruce smiled up at him, "Didn't peg you for a coward Alfred."

"No sir, just don't want to rebuild the manor again so soon." He remarked.

Bruce chuckled at the dry humor and opened the box slowly. Nothing dramatic happened so lifted the lid off completely. Inside was a sheet of green cardstock with pasted letters to form out a sentence – a riddle.

_I form in the shadows where you can barely see. When around, you're cloaked by me. I'm humid and wet when travelling through and in the sun's light I appear as floating dew._

_Discover me soon or pay the ultimate price. Gotham's soul is burning; you've received the first of thrice._

Alfred read over his shoulder and sniffed, "Charming I'm sure."

"It's a riddle."

Alfred peered at it, "For in the shadows… hm. Sounds like a type of fog Master Bruce." He picked up an empty cup and filled it before handing it to him.

"You're right… but the _first of thrice_ means it's first of three. So we have three clues to figure him out or Gotham…burns?" Bruce muttered aloud.

Alfred sighed, "Well perhaps a decent night of sleep would help you think clearly Master Wayne."

Bruce gave him an incredulous look before Alfred poured him another cup of hot coffee, "I suppose not. Shall I ready the car then?"

Bruce nodded as he pondered the riddle. With a sigh he scooped it up and turned down a hallway to reach the piano. He depressed three keys and the bookcase slid to the side to reveal a passage to the stairs that would lead him to the bat-cave.

He sat in the leather seat in front of numerous computer screens monitoring the city at different areas. He put his chin in his hands for a moment and stared unseeingly at the monitors. He wondered at the exit of Mac just before the explosion and then the lime green charger that had almost hit him escaping the parking lot outside the Mayor's ball.

Could Mac be this Riddle maker? He frowned into his hand and then sighed. Pulling on his suit, he donned his dark persona of Gotham's Dark Knight and jumped in the tumbler to patrol Gotham. There was no way little Mac could be a villain.

Mac found herself staring off into space; how had she avoided the explosion? She had a simple green wrap around robe on and had been staring at the same news report for six hours. She was unnerved and the only way to calm herself would be to go for a drive in her charger GT. She pulled on a pair of yoga pants foregoing panties. She pulled on a sports bra and a zip-up hoody she'd designed for the release of Gotham's Knight. The bat symbol on Batman's chest was altered slightly with a lime green background and a purple bat figure stitched into the fabric over her chest. She slipped on black ballet flats and grabbed her keys and ID. She pet Shadow's head and allowed the husky to follow her out before locking the door and putting her in the back of the car.

She found herself cruising down a road hoping to find an all night coffee shop but knowing her search would be fruitless. She turned the corner and Shadow growled ferally making Mac slow down and look around a little. She didn't know what the wolf-dog was growling at but trusted her senses to perceive any danger she might not.

So she made an illegal u-turn at an empty intersection and started to head home when a gunshot went off in the alley ahead of her. She stomped on the breaks and was about to floor it in reverse – even though she wouldn't get anywhere very fast if she had – when a man was sent flying from the alley onto the street. He got up and ran like the devil was on his tail when another flew out.

She gaped openly as the man leaned up and fired off a round at the sudden appearance of Batman. Batman staggered slightly but kicked the gun away and then the man. Said man got up and high-tailed it out of there as fast as he possibly could with a noticeable limp.

Mac swallowed the lump in her throat when she saw Batman turn to look at her and then fall to his knee. She threw it into drive and hit the accelerator. She stopped by him and got out, ran around the front of the car and knelt by his side. "Put your arm over my shoulder," she muttered as she tried to get him to stand. "C'mon Bats, I can't do this by myself, that freakin' armor is heavy!"

She managed to get him to stand up with her and got him into the car. She closed the door and ran around to the driver's side and got in. She pulled it out of park, kicked it into drive and peeled out trying to put some distance in between the alley and them in case any more of those brutes came back.

Mac shifted gears and Shadow whined. She looked over and cursed – he was bleeding pretty badly. She threw it into the highest gear and flicked a switch. She hit the nitrous and barreled home as fast as she could.


	4. Chapter IV

**When It's Love**

_By Shadowed _Replica

IV. Never Gonna Give Up

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><p><span>DISCLAIMER:<span> I do not own Batman ior Bruce Wayne and not Christian Bale... It makes me very sad but a girl can dream right? Mac Nigma is my own psychosis in action so please don't take her without my permission. My plans to kidnap the Dark Knight are not going too hot so... until then I relinquish those rights. Ultimate sad face.

Only 2 reviews...

But thanks to pourquoibella & MaisaLin for reading and reviewing faithfully!

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><p>Ten minutes later, she was lugging Batman up to her penthouse suite using the back entrance so no guards would question or call the cops. She got him up to the first floor and into her bedroom. Shadow still whined softly but stayed on the bed not too far from him.<p>

Mac rifled through her drawers and medical supplies looking for gauze, tape, stitches, a needle and something to pull a bullet out with. She reappeared with it a few minutes later and opened her mini-fridge to grab out a bottle of alcohol.

Her fingers moved over his Kevlar covered chest and found the bullet hole had lodged just below his ribs. She cursed and looked up at him. He was awake and staring at her broodingly daring her to try to remove his mask. "Look, you need to get that bullet out. I'm not going to try and unmask you okay? Just help me get this chest plate off so I can fix you up."

She couldn't tell if she was staring at his eyes or lenses but he sat up with her help and pressed something on the Kevlar to make it release. She heard a slight hissing and then was able to remove it. Some of the Kevlar was embedded with the bullet and she cursed again.

Grabbing the alcohol, she poured it over his wound and he grit is teeth. Then she held the bottle up to his mouth and he frowned, "Oh just take a sip so it kind of helps with the pain."

He refused and she rolled her eyes, "Men." She muttered darkly before taking a sip to calm her nerves. Then she grabbed her switch blade that she'd previously sterilized and took a breath. She muttered, "I'm sorry," and cut through his flesh.

He didn't make a noise though she felt his body tense beneath her fingers. Mac was very proud of herself for not ogling his delicious body even though he was bleeding and badly hurt. She found the bullet hadn't gone too deep so he didn't look like he was in any mortal danger.

She threaded the needle and – after pouring more alcohol on the wound to be safe – she began to stitch him up. By the twentieth stitch, he was grumbling at her and tensing with every pass. "Oh relax you big baby, I'm almost done."

Batman watched her the entire time and he noticed how careful she was. She was very gentle though commanding and fierce. If he didn't have control over himself, he would have smiled at her.

"Almost…done!" She said while pulling the last stitch through and tying it off. She wiped her forehead and gathered all the soiled dressings to throw them out. She grabbed a clean rag, wet it with cold water and wiped the blood away from his stomach before placing sterilized gauze and tape over it to help keep it clean.

She picked up the breast-plate and sighed as she stared at the hole through it, "I think your Kevlar was defective. You might want to get your money back Batman." She smirked over at him.

He still hadn't smiled or changed his expression once, "Jeez…. Tough crowd." She murmured before moving over toward him, "You want this back."

"Just slide it back the way it was." He ordered.

She rolled her eyes and complied and slid it over his chest under the shoulder braces. A little click was heard and it locked in place though there was a gaping hole from where the Kevlar had cracked. "Are you going to be okay?" She recalled the numerous scars that littered his body.

"I'll be fine." He said as he moved to sit up. He did wince visibly and Mac scowled at him.

"Liar," she muttered. "Just lay back and take a rest for a second okay?" She demanded more than asked.

He gave her a skeptical look, "Look, I'm not going to try to do anything to compromise you okay? Just sit there and I'll make something that will make you feel better."

She turned away from him and bent down to the mini-fridge again. She pulled out some milk and chocolate syrup. Then she moved into the bathroom and grabbed some seltzer from the cabinet before pulling a cup down and rinsing it out to make sure it was clean. She poured the milk and chocolate syrup together mixing it so it created chocolate milk before dropping the seltzer in and walked out with the fizzing chocolate milk.

Mac sat next to him and handed it to him. She helped him to sit up and he sniffed it, "What is it?"

She gave him a wry smile, "Poison, now drink up."

He scowled at her but downed it in one go. She rolled her eyes and took the cup. "What's it supposed to do?"

She blinked and then smiled, "Nothing, just tastes good so you take your mind off the pain." She laughed as he scowled at her again.

"Why are you helping me?" He asked.

Mac didn't reply for a second as she took the milk glass away and set it on the counter. She kept looking out the window and sighed, "Because… I don't know why. You're not a bad person. Anyone who risks their lives on a nightly basis to help out a city that needs to be institutionalized is not just a good person but a saint."

She sighed again and sat down on the window seat and he moved to sit up a little. "I'm a murderer." He said gruffly.

Mac's gaze cut through him and she reprimanded him smartly, "No you're not!"

Bruce didn't know if he should be frustrated or pleased that she was so passionate about him… well Batman. Mac hated Bruce Wayne with a passion and he sighed inwardly for that. "What makes you think that?"

"You can't be!" Mac cried.

He realized she was fighting back tears. "Whatever happened with those men, you didn't have a choice. You couldn't have had a choice!" She turned her head away and stood up walking over to him.

"And if I did?" He was on his feet now looking down at her.

"I won't believe it!" She denied.

His hands gripped her small, shaking shoulders, "You must."

"I won't!" She cried at him trying to shove against the wall of his chest. "You aren't evil! You're a good person behind that mask. Your heart hasn't been tainted by the depravity of this city! You can't let them call you a killer! You aren't! You simply aren't!" Her tiny fists thumped his chest repeatedly in denial.

He grabbed her wrists to keep from hitting the stitched wound and pulled her against his chest. She fit perfectly in his arms and he sighed resting his chin on her head. He didn't know what to do for once. "I'm not a good person." He started.

"Mac," she said weakly against him.

"What?"

"My name is Mac." She replied a little louder.

He refrained the urge to chuckle, "I'm not a good person Mac." He felt her try to protest, "Quiet." He commanded, "I'm just someone who can make a difference. There is blood on my hands and nothing I ever do will cleanse me of that. No matter how many people I save, the blood of others will always be on my hands."

Mac shook her head in denial and he wanted to shake her to try and knock some sense into her, "No. I won't believe that. If you have blood on your hands then so does everyone else!" She snapped. She pushed away just enough to look up at him, "Every person who stands by and just watches the dirty deals and foul deeds that go on around them pretending they don't see has the blood of innocents on their hands!"

He shook his head, "Mac…"

"But I understand." She cut him off.

He blinked, "What?"

"My grandfather once asked me, 'If there's a problem and you're one of the few people with the power to do something about it, how responsible does that make you?' " She said.

Batman stared down at her. "It makes you solely responsible." He said softly.

She smirked through her tears, "It's how you answer that question that defines you." She gave him a smug smirk and wiped a few tears away, "That's how I know you're a good person and I understand why you do what you do."

He shook his head, "You're too smart for your own good." He couldn't keep the slight upward tug of his mouth from his face.

She laughed softly, "I know. But don't worry, unlike others, I don't need to know what's behind the mask to see what's right in front of me." With that – on sudden impulse – Mac lifted up on her tiptoes and kissed him full on the lips not expecting him to do anything but push her away.

He was surprised, to say the least. He hadn't expected her to kiss him – even though she did last time; but she'd been under the influence of pain then. She hadn't been entirely lucid. He had reacted purely on instinct when his arms had wrapped her up and pulled her against him to deepen the kiss.

She froze for a second and that was all he needed to dump a cold bucket of reality back on him. His hands banded around her thin forearms and he jerked her back with a little more force than intended. "Don't do that again." He growled roughly trying to stop the blood to continue to flow south; good thing his suit was restrictive.

She bit her lip and the gesture was so adorable he had to force himself not to kiss the look of uncertainty off her face. "I won't say I'm sorry, 'cause I'm not." She said truthfully. "But I won't do it again." She promised.

Batman scowled and groaned inwardly as he let go of her arms with a tight nod. He stepped to her window and opened it. He made the mistake of glancing back at her; she had her arms crossed in a purely feminine gesture of self-protection with her eyes downcast until she glanced up at him. The raw emotion glittering in her eyes was an iron fist to his gut and razors to his heart. Glad that his eyes were covered by black lenses in the mask, Batman nodded to her and disappeared out the window.

Mac watched him jump and – though she knew he wouldn't get hurt – ran to the window to make sure he was okay. He was gone and she let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. Turning to place her back against the window next to it, she smacked a hand to her forehead, "Get a grip Mac!" She hissed at herself.

Shadow barked at her and Mac sighed dragging her hands over her face, "I can't believe I kissed him!" She sat down and Shadow nudged her with her nose and a whine. Mac looked over and saw something in her mouth. She held her hand out and Shadow dropped a Bat-a-rang in her hand. "Neat," she mutters while placing the weapon on her nightstand and sighing. She stands and Shadow gets off the bed as she tears the sheets off it.

After bundling them up and leaving them in the corner of the room, she sighed and collapsed on to the stripped bed. She clutched her pillow with a yawn and just barely drifted off to sleep when her phone suddenly trilled Omarion's Ice Box song.

With a sigh she pulled out her cell phone, "Hey Nora, been a long time," she yawned into the phone. In fact it'd been two years since she'd heard from her cousin other than e-mails.

"Mac," a male voice growled.

Mac sat straight up, "Victor?" She asked incredulously.

"Hello Mac," Victor Frieze replied cooly.

"Victor, hi. Is everything okay?" She asked suddenly wide-awake.

"No." He said calmly.

Mac blinked waiting for an explanation. "Well what's wrong then?" She asked impatiently.

"Nora's dying." He said with a strangled voice.

"What?!" Mac screeched as she jumped out of bed.

"She has stage 3 MacGregor's syndrome." He explained roughly.

"What are you talking about? Nora can't be dying! She would've mentioned it to me or something! Victor tell me you're joking, please tell me this is just a cruel joke!" She cried.

"It's not." He said in a monotone. Mac blinked, something was definitely wrong.

"How long has she been sick?"

"Almost three years now."

"Oh God!" Mac cried clutching her stomach. "Why didn't she tell me, why didn't you tell me Victor!?" Before he could reply Mac ran to her closet and started pulling out clothes. "Where are you? I'm coming over right now. Just tell me where you are and I'll be on the next flight out."

Victor didn't speak for a couple moments as Mac tore her wardrobe open and stuffed odds and ends of clothing into her luggage. "Will you help me save her?" He suddenly asked making Mac pause.

"What?"

"Will you help me save her Mac?!" He cried.

"You have a cure?" Mac asked sitting on the bed.

"Come to Juno, Alaska, catch the redeye and I'll pick you up. I'll explain everything when we get to my lab." He said in a rush which got Mac back in action. She was trying to close her suitcase when he finished with, "And Mac, hurry!" The line went dead.

Mac gaped at the phone before shaking herself out of her reverie. She zipped the bag close, grabbed her phone charger and whistled for Shadow. She dialed the airlines and preordered the first ticket to Alaska giving her one and a half hours to spare. She dialed another number and her executive assistant and best friend picked up.

"This better be a naked hunk waiting outside my door or I'm hanging up," a drowsy voice hissed.

Mac felt bad, "Hey Sarina."

"Mac? Is everything all right?" Sarina asked.

She could hear her friend sitting up in bed to turn on the light. "Yes, kinda, but an emergency came up with my cousin. She's really sick and needs me. I'm flying to Alaska tonight to see how she is. I don't know how long I'll be gone but the final touches on the Box are written down on my office desk. Send them to my father along with the prototype."

Sarina gasped, "But what about Gotham's Knight? And what will I tell the media? Your birthday party is in seven days Mac!"

"Just tell them I'm sick or something. No one can know what's going on. Gotham's Knight will be fine. The villain is finished and I've just finished my research on Batman. When I get back everything will be fine. I'm sorry to have woken you but I have one more favor to ask." Mac said as she closed the phone and knocked on the door.

There was some shuffling followed by a thump and cursing before the door swung open. "Oh my… Mac what the…?"

"Can you please take Shadow for a bit? I know you aren't particular to dogs but I need you to do this. She can't go seven days on her own, she'd be so lonely. Please Rina?"

Rina blinked at her and sighed, "Yeah I'll take her." She let shadow in and cast a worried glance up at her friend and employer, "Are you going to be okay?"

Mac smiled, "I'll be just fine. I'm staying with my cousin for the next few days. Just let me know if you need anything, here's a couple hundred for dog food and get a nice dress as a gift from me for doing this." She hugged her friend as Shadow slipped in whining. She hugged her and then bent down to pet Shadow and give her snout a kiss. "Be a good girl and keep Rina safe."

With that, Mac all but ran out of the apartment complex and jumped in the taxi she had waiting outside. She got to Gotham airport with ten minutes to spare. She all but ran for the redeye flight and was almost late.

When Mac finally arrived after switching planes twice, she was freezing, tired, irritable, and worried out of her mind. She hurried into the waiting limousine and shivered as the door shut behind her.

"Mr. Frieze regrets he couldn't come to get you himself but he's furiously working at the moment. It is a three hour drive to the mansion so I suggest you get some sleep on the way." The man driving in front said over his shoulder to her.

Mac nodded and looked out from the tinted window at the snowy world around her. She sighed and curled into a ball waiting for the worst and hoping for the best.

The trip had gone by quickly enough for Mac once she fell asleep. The mansion was large and foreboding. The walls were covered in ice making it look like a huge ice castle from a child's demented dream. She entered as the limousine pulled away.

A door opened at the end of the hall just as she closed the front door behind her and she turned to face her host. She shrieked in surprise and placed a hand to her heart, "Jesus, Victor! You're going to give me a heart-attack sneaking up on me like that!" She snapped rushing over to him.

He didn't react other than to nod to her. "Come with me." He ordered.

"Wait, Victor!" She growled. He just turned and walked back through the door he came from and she huffed before following after him. "Are you going to tell me what the hell is going on?"

She entered a large laboratory and looked around amazed as she shivered violently. He stopped in front of a large tube that held a bluish liquid and a floating figure in it. With a gasp Mac lurched forward and placed her hands on the glass, "Oh God… Nora!" She cried.

"You told me she was dying, not dead!" She screamed as she turned on him glaring daggers.

Victor grimaced, "She is dying but I was able to halt the disease by placing her in suspended cryostasis. She would have died a year ago if I had not." He explained coolly.

"Then why did you call me here? Why didn't you tell me sooner?" She snarled.

"I thought I had the disease cured but her stage is too advanced. I needed only a bit longer to discover the cure, then the cryo-tube began to malfunction and I've spent all my time trying to figure out how to stabilize the power system. Until I figure it out, a cure will have to wait."

Mac shook her head and stared at her cousin as tears pricked at her eyes. "Why didn't she tell me she was sick?"

He looked over at her, "She was ashamed. I only found out two years ago when she was already past the second stage of Macgregor's syndrome. If I could've started even six months earlier I could have prevented this. But now I'm stuck because I cannot continue my research without risking losing her in the process if the power grid fails."

"Can you really save her?"

Victor looked at Nora and touched the glass that existed between his hand and her face. "If I can get the power grid stabilized then I know I can. It's simply a matter of will and mine is limitless."

Biting her lip, Mac sighed and sat down on the step and tried to hide her tears. "What can I do?" She said looked up at him.

He blinked and smiled down at her. "I knew you'd help us."

Mac wiped at her eyes and shuttered as crystals rained down on the ground. "Victor, I'm not sure what I can do. Cryogenics is your area of expertise, not mine."

Victor shook his head, "That I've got covered, I need you to design and build me a generator that will keep her stable and alive no matter if the rest of the lab goes dark. So far, this is the only place safe enough should the grid fail again."

Nodding to herself, Mac walked over to a computer. "Well it's been a while since I've tinkered with any technical projects other than my new game system but…" she looked over the screens flashing at her from the computer and her fingers began to fly over the keys.

She made little noises in the back of her throat as though speaking to herself and finding things she wasn't expecting. Victor watched in silence until she nodded to herself, "All right, I think I know just the way to build this thing." She smirked to herself as she turned to her cousin-in-law, "But it won't just keep Nora alive should the main power grid go out, your whole lab will be – if not fully operational – at least kept at half power. I need to reroute a couple circuits and I'm going to need a couple days along with some welding instruments." She prattled off a list to Victor and he nodded.

"How long will it take?" He asked as he turned to retrieve all she asked for.

She gave him a wry smile, "Well I have to be home in seven days so I guess that leaves me six to map everything out."

He nodded and disappeared. Mac turned to look at Nora and she smiled sadly. "Damn you and your pride woman." She leaned against the tube, "But if anyone can fix this…can fix you, Nora; it's Victor. He loves you so much." She turned away from her cousin and ran a hand through her hair, "You have to live Nora, Victor needs you… I need you."

Bruce found himself being attended by Alfred. Though Mac worked on his bullet wonderfully, she still missed several lacerations and cuts littered all over his lower back and arms. Alfred worked diligently on him and sighed, "I do wish you would at least try to dodge more than bullets sir." He nudged the glasses on his nose into better position as he finished the last stitching on his deepest cut.

Bruce scowled at him, "It's kind of hard to avoid everything when you've got people attacking you from all sides Alfred."

Alfred sniffed down at him, "It's a good thing Miss Mac was there to help you out."

Bruce's gaze narrowed childishly, "Yeah, she almost ran me over to begin with."

Alfred laughed and turned to walk away, "Of course Master Bruce."

Bruce rolled his eyes as he stood and pulled on a shirt. "You don't have to be so smug Alfred."

The elder man just smiled and nodded to him as he dumped the wasted gauze into a waste basket. He turned and brought a cup of hot coffee to Bruce and then nodded to the clock. "Perhaps you should get some sleep sir; you do have a board meeting in three hours." He said with a smile. And then, with a thought, he added, "And you'll want to pick out a tuxedo for Friday evening as well and have it dry-cleaned."

"A tuxedo?" Bruce blinked in confusion.

"For Miss MacKayla's birthday party, or did you decide to rescind the RSVP?" Alfred asked with a knowing smirk as he turned his back to walk out.

"What? No, of course not!" Bruce snapped before visibly forcing himself to calm down as he recognized Alfred's intentional barb. "We are not having this conversation again." He walked out past Alfred trying to keep his emotions in check.

Alfred smiled sadly, "Of course not sir."

Bruce sighed and turned back to him, "I can't handle another Rachel, Alfred."

The older man nodded, "Yes sir, I know."


End file.
